Least Privilege User Accounts On Windows XP

After a subtantial amount of beta testing, Microsoft published a document that can help administrators who want to implement Least Privilege User Accounts (LUA) on Windows XP. However, implementing LUA could come with significant costs and challenges.

The new document, "Applying the Principle of Least Privilege to User Accounts on Windows XP," was published January 18. In it, Microsoft points out that companies might need to deploy new tools, re-develop custom applications, and change operational procedures. Presenting ever further challenge is the fact that some software will not run unless the user's account has Administrator rights. Another complicating factors is that people might need to install new hardware or software, which could require Administrator rights.

The document is the culmination of group effort by eleven contributors and dozens of other people who reviewed and tested the included advice. The document is available at Microsoft Technet in HTML format. Be sure to review the Resources section for a long list of helpful links.